In the aftermath of PiS failing to secure a majority in parliament, nor being able to form a ruling coalition with any other party, President Andrzej Duda’s advisor and senior MP Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski has contributed to the debate on the direction of the party ahead of next year’s local government and European parliamentary elections.
President Andrzej Duda’s chief aide Marcin Mastalerek has already gone on the record as saying that people inside PiS are increasingly of the view that the process of succession in PiS has to begin soon.
Ardanowski, interviewed by daily Super Express said that while recognizing all that Kaczyński has achieved, PiS cannot be dependent forever on one aging individual. It must rather learn the lessons from the last election and adjust accordingly.
The former agriculture minister believes that Kaczyński must give a clear signal that the process of succession is beginning. The danger of the party falling apart when he is gone is real and can only be averted by a well-managed succession. If PiS does not move on, it is in danger of becoming marginalized, Ardanowski said.
The senior PiS MP believes that the leadership of the party must become a broader collective and that the leader cannot rely on his immediate entourage, as this failed to guarantee electoral success. New younger blood is required, and processes for the selection of future leaders must be put in place, he added.
Ardanowski is quick to suggest who the new leader might be. He believes that Andrzej Duda, the sitting president who will finish his second and final term of office in 2025, would fit the bill. “He is already one of the leaders of the Polish right and has a clear and broad vision of the state, still young and an outstanding president, too.”
